


Stoneheart

by LuthienLuinwe



Series: Broken Things [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Dick Grayson is a Talon, M/M, Mind Games, Murder, Revenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 21:11:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14941475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuthienLuinwe/pseuds/LuthienLuinwe
Summary: Slade and Talon take revenge against the Court of Owls.





	Stoneheart

It had taken weeks to find them, but it had been worth it. He thumbed through the file in his hand. There were more, Slade was sure of that much. But he doubted he would ever be able to track all of them down. He’d wanted to kill them himself, to watch the light drain from the eyes of the monsters that had created that thing. But it wasn’t his kill, at least not unless the boy gave him permission.

The creature that had once been Dick sat at the table, pushing his spoon around in his bowl. Sometimes Slade doubted the boy ever ate at all. He shut the door behind him and locked the deadbolt, sighing when he saw the thing in front of him flinch.

“I found something for you. I think you’ll like it,” he said and dropped the manila folder in front of it. He watched as its golden eyes frowned, as his pale hands hesitantly opened it. Four names. Three men and a woman Slade had no doubt in his mind had helped create that monstrosity.

Slade watched its eyes glint from confusion to something darker. Bloodlust. Never in his worst dreams had he imagined he’d ever see that kind of hate in Dick’s eyes. But the thing before him wasn’t Dick. It never would be again. “Recognize them?” he asked and watched as it nodded.

“Told you you’d like it.”

There hadn’t been any planning. There hadn’t been time to plan. The thing that had once been his Robin had grabbed his blades nearly as soon as he’d closed the folder. “Do you really think it’s wise of us to march right in?” Slade had crossed his arms. But the deadly glare the monster had shot him shut his mouth. He couldn’t blame the boy. He’d suffered God only knew what under those four. Still, Slade would have preferred a mission that wasn’t likely to result in both of their deaths.

He started to follow it out the door when it turned around, the glare still present on its face. “I’m not letting you go alone,” Slade shook his head and slid his mask over his face. “Can’t risk them taking you from me a second time, after all.”

* * *

Dick had been missing for weeks. Slade hadn’t been worried at first. His little Robin had been known to do that from time to time. But he’d never been MIA quite that long before. He’d only been a little surprised when the Batman had knocked his door down. “Where the hell is he?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Slade answered, already reaching for the sword at his back. Slade didn’t know where Dick was. In of itself, that wasn’t concerning in the slightest. But if Batman didn’t know where his precious little bird was? Well that was certainly concerning.

“I know you know,” the Bat growled and Slade narrowed his eye. There was no sense in fighting, not when they were both after the same goal. He watched as the Bat relaxed, or at least relaxed as much as he could. He must have come to the same conclusion Slade had.

They were on the same side in this.

They both needed him back.

* * *

Finding the woman had been easy enough. Getting her away from her family had been trickier. And Slade watched as her eyes turned to an expression of pure horror when she saw the thing before him. Watched as the creature that had once been Dick, Dick who never would have killed another human being, slid a dagger into her heart. It had been a cold, calculated movement.

The boy hadn’t even flinched.

Finding the men had been trickier. The woman must have alerted them somehow. The creature had slit the first one’s throat. The man hadn’t even had time to turn around. The thing had held the man while it died, covering his mouth and nose so no one could overhear anything. 

And Slade watched as it dropped the body to the ground.

He wondered what the Bat would say if he saw his little soldier now. Little Robin, all grown up and killing people without batting an eye. But Robin was dead, he had to remind himself. Only the Talon lived on in its place, occupying the body that had once belonged to Dick.

The second man had seen the creature, and Slade knew the creature had let itself be seen on purpose. Toying with its prey. That seemed more of a cat move than an owl one. A dagger to the back. A strangled cry. And Slade watched as the creature wiped the blood on his hands off on his pants as if nothing had happened.

* * *

“He’s dead, Bat,” Slade shook his head. He’d found Dick’s escrima sticks, coated in blood, on his doorstep. Whoever had gotten to the boy certainly knew everything they’d needed to about the boy. He dropped the weapons in front of the Batman, and watched as he stooped down to pick them up.

“He isn’t…” the other man said, but Slade didn’t bother to hear the rest. He turned and he left, hoping to God that the Bat was right, but knowing in his gut that Dick was gone. Dick was gone, and he’d been able to do nothing to stop it.

If he listened closely, he could still hear Dick talking about whatever the hell it was that had gone on in Bludhaven that week. God, it had seemed like the boy never shut up about anything. But Slade would have traded the world to hear that voice one last time.

* * *

The third man had been waiting for them. He sat, still dressed in a suit and a tie with an accursed owl mask on his face. What was the point? Slade had already uncovered his identity. “Talon,” he couldn’t see the smirk, but he knew it was there. “We’ve missed you. Come home.”

Slade watched as the boy flinched and he felt his blood boil. He hadn’t reacted at all to the other three. The man they were dealing with was surely high up in the Court’s rankings. “Oh, but you brought a friend,” the man continued, and Slade fought every instinct he had to jump in front of his once-lover. “And here I thought we’d told you to eliminate him.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Slade said to the boy, who had turned to face him. The bloodlust in his eyes had been replaced with that thrice-damned blank stare. The man was getting to him. “Remember the pain he put you through.”

“Slade Wilson,” Slade watched as the thing reached for its blade once more. “The Court of…”

“You’ve messed with the wrong group, Slade,” the man in the suit said. “Our Talon is loyal. He’d never completely turn against us.”

And Slade watched as the flash of anger reappeared in the thing’s eyes. And he watched as the thing turned and threw the blade with a force Slade had never known Dick to be capable of. And he watched as the blade buried itself between the man’s eyes.

And in that moment, Slade knew one thing and one thing only.

Dick Grayson was long dead. 

And he wasn’t coming back.


End file.
